A digital video recorder (DVR) or personal video recorder (PVR) is a device that records audiovisual programming to a disk drive or other storage medium. Some DVRs are implemented as standalone devices that receive programming signals from a cable, satellite or terrestrial receiver, such as a set-top box (STB). Other DVRs can be incorporated into the STBs themselves, or into other receiver-type devices. One advantage of incorporating a DVR feature into an STB or other receiver is that electronic program guide (EPG) information can be shared between the DVR and the receiver, thereby providing great flexibility in selecting, receiving and recording desired programming.
Many DVR/receiver systems also provide the capability to view one program while recording another or to record multiple programs that are broadcast at the same time. A television viewer may wish to record multiple simultaneous broadcasts of local news, for example, or multiple sporting events that are simultaneously occurring on different channels. If the viewer's simultaneous recording demands exceed the capabilities of the receiver and/or DVR at any time, however, then the viewer will typically have to choose which programs will be recorded, thereby missing one or more desired programs. A viewer that would like to record three simultaneous programs, for example, may miss one of the desired programs if the viewer's receiver/DVR system is only able to record two programs at one time. While some recorders provide a capability to “prioritize” certain recordings over others, these devices simply use assigned “priority” of the program to determine which of the various programs will be recorded (or not recorded) at a particular time. While one or more of the desired programs may be re-broadcast at a later date or time, it is typically the viewer's responsibility to identify later broadcasts and to manually resolve any further conflicts in the recording schedule.
It is therefore desirable to create systems and methods that are able to automatically schedule program recordings based upon viewer inputs or preferences. These and other desirable features will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background section.